1. Field
The methods, apparatus and articles described herein generally relate to automatic data collection (ADC) devices, such as readers capable of reading optical machine-readable symbols (e.g., barcode symbols, stacked code symbols, and/or matrix or area code symbols), radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, and/or magnetic stripes, and more particularly relate to methods, apparatus and articles to facilitate the upgrading, validating and testing of such ADC devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
The ADC field is generally directed to the use of devices to automatically capture data encoded in a variety of data carriers. Data carriers may take the form of media bearing machine-readable symbols, such as barcode symbols, stacked code symbols, matrix or area code symbols. Data carriers may take the form of active or passive RFID circuits carried by tags or cases. Data carriers may also take the form of media bearing magnetic stripes.
A variety of ADC devices and ADC media are ubiquitous and well known.
For example, readers for optically reading machine-readable symbols are common in a large variety of retail, warehouse and shipping environments. Such readers are commonly referred to as “barcode” readers, and typically take the form of either optical scanners or optical imagers. Optical machine-readable symbol readers may be fixed, such as those typically found at many grocery or supermarket checkout stands where the item bearing the machine-readable symbol is passed over the optical reader. Handheld machine-readable symbol readers are also common, where the operator either moves the reader to scan the desired machine-readable symbol or generally aims the optical machine-readable symbol reader at the desired machine-readable symbol and optionally activates a trigger or other switch to cause the optical reader to scan or capture an image of the machine-readable symbol.
RFID readers are becoming increasingly more common in retail, warehouse, and shipping environments. RFID readers wirelessly read and/or write information to RFID circuits, commonly referred to as RFID tags. Such RFID readers may be either fixed or handheld. RFID readers may operate with active RFID tags which contain a discrete power source such as a battery or ultra-capacitor, or may operate with passive RFID tags which derive power from an RF interrogation signal transmitted by the RFID reader. RFID tags may, or may not, include encryption and other security measures for controlling access to the data stored in the RFID tag.
Magnetic stripe readers are commonly found in a large variety of environments, such as in point-of-sale (POS) terminals for reading magnetic stripes carried by various media, for example financial cards such as credit cards, debit cards, and/or gift cards. Magnetic stripe readers typically rely on movement of the media relative to a magnetic reader head to magnetically capture the information encoded in the polarizations of the magnetic stripe.
An ADC device platform typically includes one or more ADC devices. For example, a POS terminal may include a barcode reader and a magnetic stripe reader, in addition to a keyboard, display, processor and cash drawer most commonly associated with traditional cash registers. In turn, the ADC devices may employ components or subsystems, which may or may not be modularized for easy replacement or substitution. For example, an optical machine-readable symbol reader may include a scan engine, an illumination system, an image capture device, and/or a decode section. An RFID reader may include a separate transmitter and receiver, along with associated antennas.
One problem that has hindered the ability to add or upgrade ADC devices or components on an ADC device platform is the extensive testing of new or upgraded ADC devices, associated components and/or functionality that must be performed to ensure that the ADC devices, associated components and/or functionality will work with the large number of existing ADC device platforms with respect to hardware, firmware and/or software. ADC device suppliers and end users have a large number of combinations and permutations of ADC device structures and functions that require testing. A related problem is the large amount of technical support and analysis that the manufacturer or supplier must typically supply the consumer to ensure that the ADC device and/or associated firmware or software is correctly installed, configured and/or operated. This problem is particularly exacerbated where initial testing of the “build” has not been adequately validated and tested, for example using regression techniques, before release of the new or upgraded ADC device, associated component and/or functionality.
Enhancing the ability to test ADC devices and/or ADC device platforms would be highly desirable to both the consumer and the manufacturers or suppliers of ADC platforms and devices. Such may, for example, facilitate the upgrade of ADC devices or components on an ADC platform.